Today six Cream Legbar hatching eggs sold on eBay for $455.00! That’s $75.00 per egg folks! I am the owner of two pairs of Cream Legbars, chickens who apparently lay golden eggs! As soon as they start laying I should be rolling in dough! Man, I knew this chicken thing was going to pay off and the big payday is just around the corner. Come on chickens, Mama needs a new pair of shoes!
But wait. Let’s look at this again. It’s a win/win for the seller but let’s look at it from the buyer’s prospective. If 50% of shipped eggs actually hatch, you done good! If more then 50% of those that hatch are girls, you done real good. So as I see it, the best case scenario is that the buyer ends up with a pair, each having cost him/her $227.00 each. Worse case scenario is none hatch or he/she ends up with three males.
Anyone getting into chickens to get rich, needs inpatient mental health treatment. Anyone getting into chickens to make a little money on the side, needs outpatient counseling. Anyone getting into chickens thinking they’ll make back the price of a bag of feed every now and then, just needs to watch a few episodes of Dr. Phil. Anyone getting into chickens thinking this is just a hobby and “it won’t cost anymore than my husband’s boat” can teach the class. Anyone getting into chickens and ending up losing the farm, needs inpatient mental health treatment.
Chickens are a hobby for me. I have given away thousands more than I have made. But I love it. My last two breed acquisitions, the blue Isbars and the cream Legbars were made after careful thought and consideration. They were expensive birds, rare and endangered, imported recently to the U.S. My reasons for choosing these breeds are that I think they will retain their value over time. I am not talking about the inflated value seen in yesterday’s auction but what the market will bear a year or more down the line. Will people still want them or will egg auctions close without a bid? I know people like colored eggs. These breeds lay green and blue eggs respectively. People love blue chickens. Got that covered with the Isbars. People love crested chickens. Got that covered with the Legbars. People love auto sexing breeds. Got that covered with both breeds, less with the Isbars, but foolproof with the Legbars. The method to my madness is to have a couple of breeds to work with, sell a few hatching eggs and chicks, make enough to buy a bag of feed now and then, and keep the total loss under the price of Michael’s boat. Unless of course I already exceeded that, in which case I am now going to have to shell out more money for some therapy.
Gotta go, there’s an auction for an emu egg closing on eBay in 33 minutes!
Kathy says
Hobbies are expensive, period. (That's how I rationalize anyway!) I love my chickens, but fame and fortune I do not see! Therapy? Oh yes, I have therapy sessions here every day. Chicken therapy for the poor…. both physical and mental therapy included. FREE! All are invited and welcomed.
Seriously, I can hardly wait to see your perdy colored eggs!
Wynette says
I'm totally with you – if you get into chickens for anything other than a love of the breed, and a commited interest in their future and preserving them, you'll be greatly disappointed!